Motive believed to have stemmed from conflict over land

By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

The leader of the Hacienda Medina Farm Workers Association, a local National Federation of Sugarcane Worker (NFSW) chapter, was shot dead inside his San Carlos City residence yesterday morning by unidentified gunmen.

Police identified the fatality as Julius Broce Barellano, who also works as a Radyo Bandera Sweet FM reporter.

According to San Carlos City police, Barellano and his aunt were inside his home when the gunmen arrived on motorcycles and opened fire. The suspects immediately fled following the incident, while Barellano was rushed to the city’s district hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival after sustaining eight gunshot wounds across different parts of his body.

NFSW later released a statement condemning the murder.

The group said Barellano led Hacienda Medina farmers after a certain Wellington Uy claimed their land as his property.

Following the land dispute, local residents said they were the subject of intimidation and harassment by Uy’s people. They also recalled Uy boasting about having the support of a certain Marton Que, said to be an influential person in the Negros Occidental first congressional district.

Last Tuesday, courts sided with the local farmers.

NFSW believes Uy was behind the killing, claiming there are no other possible motives.

San Carlos City police, however, have yet to tag Uy as a suspect and are still conducting further investigations.

Meanwhile, the Presidential Task Force on Media Security issued a statement yesterday, where the group announced they would be conducting their own probe.

Negros Press Club President Renato ‘Aksyon Boy’ Duran also released a statement condemning the killing and urged authorities to investigate the incident.

Barellano is the second media personality killed in Negros this year, following the murder of radio broadcaster Edmund Sestoso in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental back in April./DGB, WDJ